Balance for clocks and the like.



'W. P. HINKELMAN.

BALANCE FOR CLOCKS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16. 1912.

1 04 072 Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

INVENTOR Rel m 1 n COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH cm. WASHINGTON, n. c.

WILLIAM P. I-IINKELMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BALANCE FOR CLOCKS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1912.

Application filed March 16, 1912. Serial No. 684,157.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. HINKEL- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Balances for Clocks and the Like; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to clocks and more particularly to regulating mechanism for clocks.

An object of the invention is to provide regulating mechanism which may be readily connected with the ordinary clock works and which will take the place of the hair spring, speed regulator and pendulum.

Another object is to provide a combined balance and regulator which will influence the movement of the forked arm connected with the pallet lever to control the rotation of the escapement wheel.

Another object is to provide mechanism of this character which may be readily connected to a clock of an ordinary type now in general use to control and regulate the works and retard unwinding of the spring and thus enable the proper operation of the works for a greater length of time between windings of the spring.

Another object is to provide an attachment of this character which may be regulated for fast or slow operation as desired.

Further objects and advantages will be hereinafter more clearly set forth and pointed out in the specification and claims.

The drawing which is a part of this application is an elevational view of the attachment as connected to a clock mechanism of ordinary construction.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 represents the escapement wheel, 2 the pallet lever, carrying the usual form of pallets 3 which engage the teeth 4 of the escapement wheel, the pallet lever 2 has the forked arm 5 projecting upwardly therefrom with its upper end forked in the usual manner to provide the roller receiving slot 6 and the outwardly directed finger 7. These parts may be of the usual construction, as shown on the drawing and the dart 8 may be secured in the upper end of the forked arm 5 and project upwardly in the usual manner. The usual movement limiting eccentrics 9 are positioned upon opposite sides of the forked arm 5 to be engaged by the latter for limiting the movement thereof. These parts form no part of my invention, however, but have been shown and described for the purpose of making plain the operation of my attachment, which I will now describe in detail, and its action upon the re ferred to parts.

The balance staff 10 has its opposite ends suitably mounted for rotation and carries the rigid wheel 11 from which projects the diametrically opposite rods 12 carrying the balance or weight disks 13 which balance the arms 12 in a horizontal position.

The upper and lower rods 14. project from the wheel 11 at right angles to the rods 12, the upper rod 14L having a weighted knob 15 upon its upper extremity while the lower rod 14: is threaded throughout its length to receive the regulating member 16 which is engaged upon the threads of the rod and adapted for adjustment upon the latter to regulate the speed of rotation of the balance staff 10.

The wheel 11 has secured thereto a roller 17 above the lower rod 14 and adjacent the edge of the wheel, which roller is adapted for engagement in the receiving slot 6 to regulate the swinging movement of the forked arm 5 and thus control the rotation of the escapement wheel 1. The dart 8 works in the passing hollow 18 in the periphery of the disk 19 which is back of the whpfel l1 and also rigid upon the balance sta It will be understood that the escapement wheel 1 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow and that the weights upon the ends of the rods projecting from the wheel 11 upon the balance staff 10 tend to return the regulating member 16 to its lowest position, with the rods 14 in their vertical positions and the rods 12 in their horizontal positions, the rocking movement of the pallet lever will be controlled and the pallets 3 alternately engaged with and disengaged from the teeth of the escapement wheel 1.

After the movement of the forked arm 5 in either direction, it is prevented from returning too suddenly, by means of the dart 8 and the passing hollow in the disk 19, as will be clearly understood. The speed of rotation of the balance staff 10 may be readily decreased by moving the stop regulating member 16 toward the upper end of the threaded rod 14, or increased by moving the member 16 toward the lower end of said rod.

It will be evident that by constructing the rods 12 and the lower rod 14: of steel while the upper rod 14 is formed of brass, the attachment will automatically adapt itself to changes of temperature and climate. It will also be evident that this attachment is selfadjusting to all reasonable positions in which a wall or mantel clock may be placed.

It will be seen that I have provided an attachment for clocks which will be extremely simple in construction and operation and which will properly regulate the operation of the escapement wheel and parts connected therewith and retard the unwinding of the main spring, said attachment taking the place of the pendulum, the hair spring and the balance wheel, thus doing away with these parts. It will further be seen that this attachment may be readily connected with the works of an ordinary clock of any of the types now in general use.

What I claim is:

1. An attachment of the character described comprising a balance staff, a wheel rigid upon the balance stafi, arms projecting from the wheel in diametrically opposite directions, weights rigid upon the arms, and balancing said arms in a horizontal plane, additional arms projecting from the wheel and disposed at right angles to said first mentioned arms, weights upon the last mentioned arms and balancing said arms in a vertical plane, the upper of said last mentioned Weights being rigidly secured to the rod and the lower weight being adjustable longitudinally of the rod.

2. The combination with the forked arm of a pallet lever having pallets engaged wit-h the teeth of an escapement wheel, said forked arm carrying a dart, and means for limiting the movement of the forked arm; of a balance stafi having a rigid wheel and disk, the disk having a passing hollow in its periphery to receive the free end of the dart, the wheel having a roller for engagement in the upper end of the forked arm to control the swinging movement of the arm, balance rods carried by said wheel and projecting in diametrically opposite directions from said balance stafl', weights rigidly secured to said balance rods and being balanced in a horizontal plane, additional balance rods carried by said wheel and disposed at right angles to said first mentioned balance rods, weights carried by said second mentioned balance rods and being balanced in a vertical plane, the upper of said second mentioned weights being rigidly secured to the balance rod and the lower weight being adjustable longitudinally of the rod.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM P. HINKELMAN.

lVitnesses WILLIAM H. l/VEDERTZ, L. A. BEYER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

